The change marketers are facing today is pretty incredible: 64% expect their role to change in the next year; 81% in the next three years. But can marketers really afford to wait that long? I don’t think they can.

If we’re truly operating in the “Age of The Customer” as Forrester’s David Cooperstein calls it then we need to market to the customer in the places they’re increasingly headed, and in the ways they’ve come to expect. That means personalization and seamless experiences across mobile devices and social networks. And, of course, all of this means embracing and better taking advantage of data.

The good news is marketers recognize this. Our survey goes on to say that 76% of marketers agree they need to be more data-focused to succeed. Digital/social marketers (47%), data analysts (38%), creatives (38%) and mobile marketers (36%) are listed as the key roles companies need to invest in over the next 12 months. Yet while over half agree that marketers should take more risks, 65% say they’re more comfortable adopting new technologies once they become mainstream

“The time is now to take the leap to digital,” says Cooperstein. I couldn’t agree more.

Marketers need to move fast. We need to have courage and take smart risks. And we can’t wait for someone else to shape our path, we need to do it ourselves. Let’s reinvent marketing.